Peacemaker By Proxy
by Ferrous Flowey
Summary: Roxanne "Proxy" Lockwood is a freshman in a New York high school. She has her studies, art, and social life to balance. Then, a discovery of a strange little watch in the woods by the train tracks reveals a whole new world to her- and stacks a lot more problems onto her proverbial plate. (Follows YKW1 canon. May contain elements of 2. Rated T for mild language and mild violence.)
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Five…. more minutes…" mumbled the lump under the star-spangled covers on the bed. It seemed the girl underneath _really_ didn't want to get up. The sun was barely beginning to light up the world, so she should've gotten to stay in bed. It was only fair, right? Alas, school waited for no one, so Roxanne Lockwood threw her comforter clumsily to the side, sat up, stretched, and began to get ready for her day. First on her to-do list: find her glasses.

She felt around on the bedside table for the lamp switch, and upon finding it, turned it the wrong way before realizing her mistake, and the lamp flickered on without another hitch. Unfortunately, the next step was a hitch in itself, for her glasses were not in their usual place. A frantic scramble for the spectacles ensued. "Of course I could find my damn glasses… if I _had_ them!" she whined to nobody in particular. Nobody in particular responded with silence. At last, however, the pesky optical enhancers were found- just a little further left than their usual spot. And not a minute too soon, as it was 30 minutes to the bus. Glasses? Check. Next item: getting dressed.

Roxanne pawed through her wardrobe in search of something that suited her fancy- it was surprisingly warm for February, so she picked her outfit based on her fashion sense as opposed to warmth and comfort levels. Cute lilac tee, denim shorts over black tights, black suspenders, and sneakers that matched her shirt in color- perfect! She changed out of her sleep-clothes and into her chosen coordination, cleaning her glasses afterward. They smudged so fast, it was really quite irritating… Outfit? Check. Next item: face and hair care.

Making a couple of faces in the mirror was a morning ritual, followed by a facial cleanser to ward off awful acne. It sucked to be going through puberty, but what was a fourteen-year-old girl to do? Once finished with that, she rummaged through the bathroom drawer for a brush, then smoothed out the mild bedhead she tended to have. Combing her bangs into their typical wavy swirl, and making sure the back of her short hair wasn't standing on end, she completed her brushing session. She smiled proudly at herself in the mirror, then grimaced. _Toothbrush time._

After that was taken care of, she was finally ready to head downstairs. Quickly, she grabbed a snack crumb cake from the kitchen and stuffed it into one of her backpack's many pockets. Browsing its other contents, she checked to make sure everything was in order. In the main pocket was her book for English, her math homework ( for missing a day, blech ), and her red-covered sketchbook. In her secondary pocket lay the small box containing her flash drive and some video game cartridges for her DS, the DS itself, and some assorted styluses and lead-starved mechanical pencils that served as backup- not to mention the snack cake. Lastly, in the smallest pocket hid her myriad of pencils, pens, and erasers ( her special stash, if you will ). Roxanne was well prepared.

She unplugged her phone from its charger and placed it on the living room table, tugged her winter jacket on just in case, and shrugged her backpack onto her shoulders. She snatched her headphones off the table, plugged them into her phone and adjusted the tightness of the headband. Just in time for the bus, she kissed her mother goodbye and stumbled out the door.

Roxanne "Proxy" Lockwood was, in many aspects, a regular teenage girl. She was also not your average chick. And things were going to get rather strange for her in the very near future.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ I have to read this?" grumbled the bespectacled girl as she slid down in her seat. Classics did not appeal to her fantasy and scifi-oriented mind, and she really didn't want to have to sit through another depressing story like _Of Mice And Men_ again. But with _The Outsiders_ staring at her miserably from the desk, that dream seemed to vanish with her enthusiasm.

"I'm afraid so, Proxy," drawled her teacher as he scribbled away at grading some essays. "One classic per year is assigned here. Still, I think you'll like this one. It's got some very well-written characters, which I know appeal to you."

"I _guess…_ "Proxy whined, but opened the book anyway. Best not to trouble her grade too much; with her math grades as they were, she was barely squeaking by in that department. English was one class she did well in, and she didn't want to risk losing that to any extent. She flipped through the foreword to the first page and began to read…

 _BRINNNG! BRINNNG!_

Proxy jolted in her seat at the sound of the dismissal bell. Was it that late already? English was the last period of the day, but it was just _starting_ when she had picked up the book! No time to dwell on that, though, she was already swinging her bag over her shoulder and heading out the classroom door. She scanned the crowded hallways for her merry band of misfits; she found the two friends waiting for her by the front door of the school, as usual. "Yo! NJ, Lynne! Let's 'blow this popsicle stand', shall we?" she shouted to them with a grin.

NJ raised a thin eyebrow. Everything about him was long and thin- he was very tall and gangly, and his platinum blonde bangs were rather unruly, as he refused to get the front of his hair cut. He looked down his nose at Proxy, who stood before him, as cheerful as ever. "One, could you tone down the brightness a bit? You're hurting my cynical soul." That earned him a _look_ from the girl in question, so he quickly moved on. "Two, since when do you say things like that? 'Blow this popsicle stand'? What is this, Outdated Slang Day?"

"Oh, heck off, NJ. She can use outdated slang if she wants," reprimanded Lynne, tugging at a springy curl of dark hair. "Besides, this is Proxy we're talking about. The same girl who cusses in Elizabethan English." She laughed, showing her straight white teeth.

" _Verily,_ thou art a dankish, lily-livered _flap-dragon._ Ye _both_ be that," huffed Proxy, pouting and crossing her arms. "Fie upon you."

NJ smirked. "Ouch. I'm wounded," he responded, completely deadpan. They all laughed and went out the door to wait for their bus, chattering and playfully squabbling as they walked. When their short bus arrived, they boarded it and sat in their usual zigzag fashion, chatting as the yellow vehicle lumbered down the highway.

Proxy leaned back in her seat, quickly texting her mother that she'd be out and about until later. Though school exhausted her and she just wanted to get home and sleep, she had an objective today; she was going to the woods by the train tracks to hunt for butterflies. She'd heard they'd been flocking there in large numbers lately, and she wanted to see for herself their vibrant colors. She jumped out of the bus at her stop and waved goodbye to her friends, stretching and taking the path down the hill into the woods.

Those woods, as the girl would soon find out, held a secret unlike any other.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Proxy made her way through the woods, searching for any sign of a lepidopteran. There were a few other bugs around- she even caught a pill bug and helped it find a rock to hide under- but no butterflies. At least the woods themselves were pretty, though most of the trees were bare, and dirty snow patches mottled the ground. She made her way to a large metal gate that prevented people from going deeper into the woods. The gate was still covered in frost, and she didn't dare touch it without gloves. It was then that she realized that she wouldn't be finding any butterflies here this time of year.

"Zounds, I'm such a dope! It's _February,_ of _course_ there aren't any butterflies!" she yelled, kicking a tree lightly. "I can't believe I actually bought that story…" Now she was grumbling, turning to leave. All of a sudden, she felt a strange shift in the atmosphere. Odd. She turned back to the gate, and to her surprise, it was gone. Not open- _gone._ As if someone had picked it up off its supports and left. As she moved closer, she saw that even the holes where the gate was driven into the ground weren't there! "…This is weird," she muttered.

Proxy knew she shouldn't investigate further. She knew she should just turn around and walk away, like any smart, story-savvy person. She knew where this was going. Still, she followed the path through where the gate had been, scuffing her shoes along the dirt. That shift in the atmosphere seemed to have triggered something in her mind- a chemical reaction of sorts, an energy that drew her to explore the deep woods. So she kept walking, and as she walked, the trees gained more and more leaves, and the snow shrank to nothing. She couldn't recall when grass had started to grow on the path, but it was there, and the nipping cold now felt more like spring temperatures. "Either I'm dreaming, or global climate change has seriously screwed this place up," the girl said to herself.

She came to a stop when she reached a clearing, and what awaited her there was an enormous, gnarled old tree. Its branches extended high into the cloudy sky, and its roots poked through the ground as if they were benches. Proxy was astonished. She'd never seen such beautiful leaves on such an elderly tree, and it made her smile. She stepped closer and sat down on one of the bench-roots, kicking her feet slightly. Then, she saw a gleam of light at the base of the tree. With the sun obscured by thick gray clouds, she found it decidedly strange that something could glint like that. Of course, she had to check it out.

Upon closer inspection, Proxy found that the strange glint was caused by something that should not have glinted at all. Now, under normal circumstances, a gumball machine, or capsule machine according to its contents, would be a bit glinty. Not so here. It appeared to be cracked and old. The top and base were made of stone, with the walls of the container looking very translucent, but not quite glassy. Why was there one of _these_ in the woods? She took an even closer look. It seemed like the capsules inside were also made of stone- they were opaque, and looked like they wouldn't open for a million more years. She checked the coin slot. Surprisingly, it was in working condition. It couldn't hurt to try it out, could it?

"Here goes nothing," she said under her breath, and pulled a quarter out of her coat pocket. Her last quarter- potentially going to waste! How suspenseful. She put the quarter into the slot, and turned the dial with some effort. She heard a clanking as the capsule she received rolled down through the bottom of the machine, and it landed on the ground at her feet.

"Well, I hope I got something good- or something at all," Proxy said aloud. She cautiously picked up the capsule and turned it around in her hands. It looked perfectly normal, or as normal as a stone capsule from an ancient capsule machine in the middle of the woods could be. Cautiously, she began to unscrew it. It gave her quite a bit of trouble, but then with a mighty "POP!" the top came off. She peered inside, anxious to see what she'd gotten.

Inside the capsule was a pocket watch with a strange insignia on its face, a swirl of red, green, blue, and purple. The watch's body was a lavender color with white accents, and a domed lid protected the hands of the watch from being tampered with. It looked quite pretty, and it seemed to be _working_ , which was an extra nice touch. "What a cool prize! I'll have to check it against a clock when I get home," Proxy said, putting the cord attached to it around her neck. Walking away from the capsule machine, she looked up at the great tree once more. Come to think of it, the gnarls and knots on it almost gave the impression of a face… so why not thank it for the prize?

"Thank you, tree! I really like the watch," she said, walking back towards the path. It would suck to re-enter February again, but c'est la vie, she supposed. She headed down the path, and watched as the trees returned to their bare-branched appearance. Huh. She'd expected there to be more to that encounter, and didn't accomplish her original goal, but at least she got a cool new timepiece out of it! So she decided to call it a win and a day. She was just about to get to where the gate had been when a voice cut through the trees.

"Pardon me, miss, but is that the _yokai watch_ you're wearing?"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"…The _what?_ "

"The yokai watch! Do you mean to tell me you received it without knowing what it was?" The voice echoed through the trees, seemingly attached to no source. It sounded masculine (sort of), and it was rather smug. Proxy immediately disliked it.

She inspected the watch around her neck. "Um, if you mean this, it just sort of… fell out of that gumball machine back there." Her tone was skeptical, reflecting her negative judgements of the voice, and her eyes were narrowed. "If we're going to continue this conversation, I'd appreciate being able to see who I'm talking to." Her hands went to her hips.

The voice laughed, and it was admittedly much nicer to hear than its talking. "All in due time, darling, all in due time! First, I must show you _how_ to see me." As it spoke, it seemed to move closer to the girl. "Do you see that button on the side of your watch? Press it."

Sure enough, there was a little button on the left side of the watch. Proxy was surprised she hadn't noticed it before. She tapped it with her finger, and the domed lid on the watch shot open on a hinge. "Woah! What the heck?" the girl gasped, taken off guard. "The lid's open!"

The voice chimed in again, allowing no time for her to regain her composure. "That 'lid' is a lens, a gateway to seeing things normally invisible to the naked eye," it boasted.

"So, like microbes?" Proxy questioned. "Are you an _amoeba?_ That'd be really weird… I didn't think amoebas had vocal cords-"

"No, you fool, like ghosts! Spirits, _yokai!_ You're talking to one right now!" sputtered the voice, cutting Proxy off. "Here, just raise the lens to eye level and look straight through it." It sounded quite miffed to be mistaken for a single-celled organism.

Proxy blinked in surprise. "Okay, geez, chill a bit." She did as told, adjusting her glasses and squinting into the lens… only to see a creature that was rather strange, at the _least._

It looked to be a floating oval with arms and one leg, and a big swirl of pink hair(?) atop its head. It had one visible eye, with yellow sclera and a red iris, and it seemed to be smirking at Proxy. She couldn't manage words for a few moments, simply staring through the lens. Then the creature spoke, and its voice matched the one she'd been speaking to. "You can put the lens down, honey. You can see me no matter what now."

"I'm not sure I _want_ to," Proxy snapped, lowering the lens out of view. Sure enough, the creature was still there. "I mean- that was rude, wasn't it? S-sorry. I'm- I'm Proxy." She stumbled over her words in a rather adorable manner, and the spirit couldn't help but chuckle.

"I understand, darling. You're confused, perhaps frightened- _desperately_ in need of someone who can jump in and save the day with explanations!" said the creature dramatically, further exaggerating his words with grand, sweeping movements all around the girl. "Well, fear no more- I am Romeo the Cupistol, yokai guide at your service. No need to thank me, it's all in a day's work."

Proxy huffed, brow furrowing more and more as he continued. "You're insufferable," she muttered. She was already exhausted and it wasn't even 6 o'clock, according to her new watch. "So, _Exposition Fairy,_ tell me what a yokai is."

Romeo scoffed. "Exposition fairy? That's a new one. Now, on with the exposition- I mean, _explanation,_ " he said. "A yokai, as stated before, is a spirit. They're everywhere, all around the world, and they cause problems for many people. They can make one hungry, energetic, rebellious- why, they can even make one's bladder full!"

"File that under 'list of things I wish I could unlearn'," Proxy grumbled, canting her head and glaring at Romeo. "Okay, and the yokai watch helps make them visible to humans, right?"

"You catch on fast!" cheered the yokai, grinning. "But that's not all it can do. There are many functions to this watch, and I'm going to teach you about all of them. But first, take this." He procured a small, shiny medallion from somewhere, handing it to Proxy. It was emblazoned with his image.

Proxy took it and looked it over. Suddenly, as if by magic, a message popped up in her head: "You befriended Cupistol!" Her eyes widened, but it didn't really surprise her at this point. A small smile made its way to her face despite her irritation. "…So what is this, exactly?" she questioned.

"That is a _yokai medal-_ proof of the friendship between you and the yokai you received it from! Now you can call me out in battle, and the medal itself will go in this book." He brought a book out into the light, and handed it to Proxy. "It's the Yokai Medallium!"

Proxy nodded and placed the medal into the first slot. She then placed it in her inventory without a second thought, before realizing something. "Hey, since when did I have _hammerspace?_ " she said in surprise.

Romeo smirked. "Another benefit of the watch, darling. Come on now, you've still got much to learn!" He floated out of the deep woods and beckoned for his new student to follow.

This was all so strange. Proxy wondered briefly if this encounter was a dream, but when she pinched herself, she knew it wasn't. She had been thrust into a completely new world without a say- but then again, that's how all those stories went, right? An adventure awaited her… she just hoped she'd get a happy ending. She followed Romeo back into the woods she knew.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Proxy walked along the path, leading her new companion out of the woods and back towards her house. She'd been talking to Romeo as they went, and she was starting to feel more comfortable around him. Melodramatic attitude and unnerving appearance aside, he seemed pretty okay to her. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Other people can't see you yokai, right?"

"Nope," Romeo said with a shake of his head. "You're the only one!"

"Great, more ammunition for the accusations… So, are you going to… live with me now?" She tilted her head in puzzlement.

"Well- yes, I suppose I am. As your new guide, I need to be with you as much as is physically possible- in case you encounter a new yokai." Romeo said with a smile.

"Ahh geez. If I make other yokai friends, will they live with me too?"

Romeo sighed. "Probably not. Spirits have routines outside of assisting you, you know!" he chastised.

"I didn't! What do you think I asked you for?!" she exclaimed, then stopped walking abruptly. She didn't remember when the dirt path had become sidewalk, but they'd arrived at her house. "Oh, here we are."

Romeo stared up at the humble abode as Proxy headed up the walk to the door. To think, he'd finally found someone to guide; she was smart, and with more powerful yokai on her side, she could be unstoppable. He just hoped she'd be able to handle the work. The ghost followed his new friend into her house.

Proxy stood in the living room, staring worriedly at the kitchen entrance. The shouts of her parents reached her ears from the next room, so whatever was going on, it wasn't good. She peered inside, careful not to make too much noise. Watching her mom and dad scream at each other over _spilled milk_ was indeed strange, but in her building anxiety at the prospect of getting involved, she didn't see a problem with the logic just yet.

Romeo floated over to the girl, watching her adjust her glasses nervously. He'd heard the parents shouting from the entrance, so he could tell why his companion was already riled up. "…Is that _normal?_ " he mumbled, squinting at the doorway.

Proxy blinked and turned to face Romeo. "I mean, yeah, sometimes we have fights, but… they're getting so angry over literal spilt milk. It's- kinda weird." She seemed to recognize the peculiarity of the situation as she spoke. "My mom _might_ get this angry over a small thing, but my dad usually doesn't scream like this in general."

Romeo thought long and hard about this. Then, his red eyes lit up, and he grinned, floating close to her ear. "I _think,_ " he whispered, "we may have found our first opponent."

"You mean a yokai's doing this?" Proxy gasped. "You said they cause all sorts of problems, right? We have to fix this!"

"Indeed we do, honey. And since you already have _me_ to fight with, there should be no problem," Romeo cheered.

Proxy frowned. "I'm gonna try to reason with it first. Pen before sword, all that stuff," she said.

"Eloquently put," Romeo quipped. "Now just aim your watch lens over there…"

Proxy ventured into the nearest corner of the kitchen, directing the attention of her lens around the room. She saw something purple and out of place, and returned her focus to that point. She watched as a large pile of purple goop materialized in front of her. She cautiously approached, sticking close to the kitchen counter. "Um… excuse me, miss-"

"Oh, hello, dahling," drawled the yokai, cutting Proxy off. "I'm surprised you noticed me. Who are you? I'm Dismarelda."

Proxy took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "I'm Proxy. I live here, and you're kind of disturbing the-" 

"I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was interested in your life story," jeered Dismarelda. "If you're going to keep pestering me, just leave. I'm not interested, dahling."

"STOP INTERRUPTING ME!" Proxy yelled, before taking another deep breath. Just the yokai's _presence_ was dredging up negativity in her, but she had to stay above it. "Dismarelda, I need you to stop making my parents fight. There's something important I need to ask them, and I need them to be calm for it."

Dismarelda seemed to consider this for a minute or two. "Mm, how about _no._ They're too much fun to watch." She turned back to the parents with a smirk.

Proxy's brow lowered, and she removed Romeo's medal from her inventory without a word. She didn't appreciate this regard of her parents as mere toys. Just before she could put the medal into the watch to summon the spirit into battle, however, he tapped her shoulder.

"On s-second thought, darling, this one is quite strong. I think our best bet is Plan B."

"And… what's plan B, exactly?" Proxy grumbled.

Romeo grabbed the girl's shoulders and turned her around, marching her out of the house. _"Run!"_

Once they were out, Proxy felt much calmer- she supposed it really was Dismarelda who was making her so upset. "So what's her deal? Do you know?" she said, whirling on Romeo.

Romeo frowned and summoned a smartphone with a pink case, flicking through apps with a stubby finger. "Well, according to the Yokai Wiki, Dismarelda's Inspirit ( that's how yokai affect the corporeal world ) causes those affected to become consumed with negative energy. Just being near her can affect a person, but to a lesser degree."

"So mom and dad were Inspirited by that blob? Damn… it explains that eerie feeling in the air before I even saw Dismarelda." Proxy frowned, then sighed. "What are we gonna do, though? If you're not strong enough to face her one-on-one, how am I gonna save my parents?"

Romeo shrugged his nonexistent shoulders. "I think we ought to explore the neighborhood and find you some more yokai friends, honey. There's strength in numbers, after all."

Proxy nodded, now determined. "Right. Let's go, Romeo!"

"One step ahead of you!"


End file.
